


when the scale tipped

by CyrusBreeze



Series: heirloom [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Gen, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27833632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyrusBreeze/pseuds/CyrusBreeze
Summary: After losing his team and most of his friends, Tony pays a visit to an old friend and receives some unexpected support and advice.orTony deals with the realization that his biological son runs around Queens in spandex pajamas
Relationships: Laura Barton & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: heirloom [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1019250
Comments: 13
Kudos: 155





	when the scale tipped

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from Heirloom by Sleeping at Last. 
> 
> There's a touch of civil war discourse in here but it aint that deep fam, I promise. Don't look too much into it. 
> 
> Also I chose Laura because of a very specific headcanon I have for her that I wanted to explore. Sue me. 
> 
> Trigger warning: Tony has a brief panic attack and is given ice to calm down.   
> This will be the last fic before the long, long long awaited Homecoming AU. 
> 
> Also this is unedited and unbeta'd so apologies in advance for issues.

What the hell are you doing here?” Barton’s wife eyed him suspiciously, her right hand resting on what Tony knew was a taser.

“I came with news about Clint, and I took a lot of care to ensure I wasn’t followed,” Tony said quickly, hoping to reassure her. He held out his hands, although he was acutely aware that it probably meant very little. 

Laura blinked at him and tilted her head. 

Tony didn’t blame her. He was part of the reason her husband had been sent to prison over a month ago. She had every right to be suspicious, even if Tony maintained that what Clint did was wrong. 

Tony prepared to retreat, to head back and ensure his tracks were covered and that the Barton’s house couldn’t be traced. He took a step back. 

But then Laura spoke up. “Our mortgage was paid, for the house, the farm, everything. The bills for Nate’s audiologist appointments, Lila’s speech therapy, our medical debt, the conference fee for one of the conferences I attended, our credit card bills, my student loan debt, my membership for the Association of Midwife Nurse Practitioners, the fee for the lawyer we hired.” Laura drew in a breath. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that I’m sure?”

Tony frowned. “Look, it’s my fault that-“ 

“It’s not,” said Laura. “It’s the federal governments fault, and it’s my husband’s fault for getting caught up in all of this mess. And, no matter what you learn from whatever rich boy club you’re apart of, you can’t just buy people’s forgiveness.”

Tony’s mine was reeling. “It is my fault,” Tony said evenly. “In part of in full, a lot of it started with me. And the Accords-“

“Are good in theory with complicated practical implications. It isn’t perfect by any means, but the initial Accords document is necessary in some capacity, perhaps not in the way you’re thinking.” She paused. “Not that I disagree with Clint’s actions. His primary motivation was protecting Wanda, and I’m never going to disagree with him trying to keep someone safe. But stuff like this is what I signed up for when I married him, and, frankly, it’s better prison than dead.” 

I really am sorry about Clint,” said Tony. “And I have an update about him.” 

Tony looked around, careful to keep his voice low. 

Laura sighed. “Come inside,” she said. “And make it quick, Nate will wake up from his nap in a bit.”

“You’ve remodeled,” Tony noted as he stepped through the doorframe. 

“Just a bit,” said Laura. “We wanted to give the kids more space to play downstairs without invading our living room, so we cut down the closest space in the master. I only wear scrubs half the time and when I’m not wearing scrubs, I only have a handful of things that need closet space.” Laura eyed him as they settled in the den. “What’s the update.”

The good news, for Clint and your family at least, is that the prosecutor and defense want to avoid trial. A highly publicized trial for a lesser known Avenger that was trying to protect a teenager spells danger for both sides. The federal government already made their examples by declaring Rogers and Wilson international fugitives with extended life sentences awaiting them. Another federal prosecutor tried to get Lang on his charges and ended up getting his ass spanked out of court. It looks like Clint will face two, maybe 3 years of house arrest, but he will be able to come home, hopefully soon.” 

“Thank god,” Laura breathed out. 

Tony was quiet. He looked around the den. It looked like such a normal house, and if Tony didn’t know what security features to look for, he would never have known it was the house of a SHIELD agent, which was probably the point. 

His eyes landed on a photo of Laura and Clint, holding what Tony could only presume was a newborn Nathaniel. Tony’s heart clinched.

“What’s it like?” Tony blurted, before he could stop himself. “Being a parent?” 

Laura tilted her head and stared at Tony, most likely wondering why a recently, and barely, reformed playboy was asking questions about parenthood. “It’s wonderful” she answered after a beat. “I genuinely didn’t realize how much I could love these tiny humans until I had them. Every bit of it, even the hard parts, is worth it. And, it’s hard. Parts of your heart ate running around outside of your body.” 

Tony nodded. He understood that all too well. He was always, always unconsciously aware that part of his heart was running around outside his body. And now, that part ran around Queens in spandex pajamas.

“Do you worry?” Tony asked. “About ruining them?” He continued. “I mean, they’re so little or maybe not so little and what if they hate you because they think you abandoned them and they don’t want anything to do with you when they grow up or what if...” Tony trailed off, breathless. 

Laura arched an eyebrow. “Are you... pregnant?” She asked. 

Tony shook his head. He had had his hysterectomy completed long ago. And he had sobbed the appointment before and for days afterward. It wasn’t that he wanted more biological kids, it was the stunning realization that Peter really was going to be his biological only child. 

“Do you have a child?” Laura prodded gently. 

Tony paused. He waited. He weighed his options, and the likelihood that Laura was already suspicious. Then, he nodded. “He’s fourteen. I gave him up, or placed him, or whatever the PC lingo is these days, with this amazing couple. They wanted him so badly and they could give him everything I couldn’t and now. Now I’ve found him again and I just...” 

“Oh, Tony,” Laura said quietly. 

And then the dam broke. The stress of the previous weeks slamming into his body and his mind. He felt a tear sliding down his cheek. His son was running around in a spandex suit and he was fighting bad guys. The kid was risking his goddamned life. Tony’s flesh and blood. The baby boy that he had loved so much that he had tried to do what was best for him. His beautiful, wonderful little boy was a fucking superhero. And it terrified him. Everything terrified him. He couldn’t adequately describe how much he loved and cared for his wonderful little boy and everything, everything had changed once he realized that the boy was constantly in danger.

It wasn’t until he felt something cold on his hand that he realized that he had been panicking and hyperventilating. 

He took a deep, heavy breath, forcing air into his lungs. 

“There you are,” Laura said gently, dropping an ice cube back into a cup. “Whenever, Clint had a panic attack, he would put ice on his face or on his mouth to calm down.” 

“I know,” Tony said. “TIPP skills.” Because years of dialectical behavior therapy had taught him that pulling himself out of a panic attack was difficult and that rapid changes in temperature could force his body to focus on something else. It worked, considering that when you were cold, your body could only focus on getting warmer.

They sat in silence for a long moment. Both of them just breathing. 

“I have a daughter,” Laura said after a very long silence. “Not Lila, obviously. I was sixteen when I had her. Her name is Hailey.”

Laura gestured to a photo on one of the couch’s end tables. It was a picture of a grinning toddler. The girl had to be no more than two years old, and her smile was wide and bright. 

“Most people assume it’s Lila,” Laura said. “But I know that it’s my little girl.” 

“How old is she now?” Tony asked. He recognized the longing and pain in her voice. 

“Seventeen,” Laura whispered. Her voice was soft, almost wistful. “I’m counting down the days while simultaneously telling myself that she doesn’t have to contact me the moment she turns eighteen.” 

Laura understood. 

The underlying feelings of want and need, of wanting to know a child that you held at that you loved but that you didn’t raise, that you couldn’t raise.

“That pain never really goes away,” Tony said softly. “It’s just always there with you.” 

“It doesn’t get easier,” Laura agreed. “You just learn to live with the pain and the heartbreak of it all.” 

They said, again, in a companionable silence. 

It was Tony who spoke up again this time. “My son runs around in spandex pajamas in Queens fighting crime.” 

Laura stared at him. Then, she blinked very deliberately. “Cooper is obsessed with Youtube,” she said after a beat. “It’s there’s that spider-guy or whatever.” 

“Spider-Man, he calls himself,” said Tony. “He apparently has enhanced DNA from a spider bite he got on a field trip. You know, in one of the letters his parents wrote me, before his parents, his parents died. In one of their letters, they said he always stood up for the little guy, and I thought, ‘oh thank god, it means he’ll be nothing like me.’ And, now, I wish that he was little more selfish, that he used his powers to play football or break world records or anything other than stopping robberies and muggings and-“ Tony drew in a long breath, careful not to bring his mind to panic again. 

“That is,” Laura spoke up then she stopped. 

“I took him to Germany,” said Tony. “At first I just wanted to recruit the superhero in Queens and then I found out it was Peter and I wanted nothing more than to protect them but then I took him to fight fucking Captain America. I didn’t know what else to do. He’s so stubborn that he probably wouldn’t listen if I told him to stop.” 

“I wonder where he could’ve gotten that from,” said Laura drily. 

Tony let out a wet sounding laugh. “Stark men are made of iron,” he said. “He’s lost so much, and yet he keeps going. I just, I don’t know what to do.” 

“Cooper asked me if he could do dirt bike racing,” said Laura. “And I know it’s nowhere near the same, but my instinct told me to tell him no. I’ve seen the dangers. I did, while I was getting my master’s, a brief stint at a hospital not far from a professional ATV track, and I’d seen the risks. But the thing about Cooper is if he gets something in his head, he’s going to push for it until someone caves. And then I found out that he had plans to go dirt biking with his friends anyway, and they were talking about getting him a used helmet or not wearing one and I drew the line. I figured, if this was something he wanted to do, desperately, then he could do it, and if I gave him permission and limits, then I could keep him safe. And maybe this isn’t the same situation, but if he isn’t going to stop, then the best thing you can do is keep him safe. Give him a helmet and pads and a racing outfit and tell him that he can only do trail riding.” 

Tony swallowed. He could handle it, if Peter only death with small time crime and minor robberies and bicycle theft. If he stayed safe and used the suit with its reinforcements and additional protections, then Tony could handle it. Perhaps he could. 

Laura’s phone beeped. She checked it. 

“Shit,” she said. “Looks like I’ve got a little one coming a week earlier than intended. I have to take Natty to the neighbors and get Lila and Cooper settled, but it was a good talk.” 

“Thank you,” Tony said. “No, seriously, I mean it. Thank you.” 

“No problem,” said Laura. “I get it, and if you need something, you’re welcome to call. Seriously.” 

Tony smiled. “I appreciate it,” he said. “And just a question, what type of dirt bike does Cooper have and hypothetically, if you could, give him whatever super safe dirtbike there was, regardless of cost, what would it be?” 

Laura rolled her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? What do you think might happen in the Homecoming AU?
> 
> Many apologies if this ending felt abrupt. I didn't really know how else to end it.


End file.
